Hiking and Discovering the Rivers of Switzerland
The Country Named As Watercastle Of Europe

Discover the rivers of Switzerland all the while enjoying superb hikes. Switzerland has the reputation of being Europe’s Water Castle. As varied as are the cultures and country sides, so are the rivers and the most marvellous way of discovering them, is to include them in your itineraries for the most spectacular hiking treks that you will ever experience.

I would like to present to you, a few of the most beautiful and most important rivers of Switzerland, starting with the South of Switzerland.

The Ticino:Rivers of Switzerland

This is the longest river of the South of Switzerland that has it source in the Nufenen Pass. It started out as a timid river, in the high Bedretto Valley following the course into the Levantine and then later when the valley widened, became a “serious” river for walkers. This region is situated between Biasca and Bellizona and then the river follows its course through to the Magadino Plaine, to spill out into the Lake Maggiore. Have a great hiking vacation in Switzerland.

On the opposite side of the Lake, The Ticino is on Italian territory and still remains a beautiful region where hikers can cross a nature reserve. The Ticino then meets up with the Po River (Italy) in the region of Pavia.

The Rhine:Rivers of Switzerland

The Rhine is by far the longest river of the rivers of Switzerland and is actually one of the longest of Europe’s rivers because it runs from Switzerland through Lichtenstein, Austria, Germany, France and the Netherlands.

Our Alps give rise to the Rhine. Its source is found in the Rheinwaldhorn Glacier. The name Rhine is derived from the Celtic word “Renos” which means, “bad-tempered flowing power”.

Should you have planned a hike along the Rhine (which I recommend), don’t miss out on the regions boasting some very beautiful vineyards. Make a stop, or two, or three for example, in the Schaffhouse region where you can enjoy some wine-tasting. You will be able to taste a wine produced from the cep, Blue Bourgogne.

While in the same region, don’t miss out on the Rhine’s magnificent waterfalls. You’ll find that they fall from different heights that range between 20 and 30 metres high.

It is possible to take a small boat to get closer to the bottom of the waterfalls. At this point, I would highly recommend waterproof clothing, there’s a lot of splashing.

The Aare:Rivers of Switzerland

This river also has its source in the Alps (Bern region), at the top of the Grimsel Pass, in the Oberaar region. At the source, this river is just a little stream that flows into the artificial Grimsel Lake.

After being used for making electricity, it follows its path and then crosses the intimidating Gorges of Aare. This is one of the hikes among those along the rivers of Switzerland for which I would give two thumbs up.

The crossing of the gorges last approximately 40 minutes. It is possible to cross them from the month of March through to the month of October. I do recommend that you cross them from West to East.

The pedestrian path is between 1 and 2 meters in width, depending on where you are. Around 1000m of this path is a wooden path, supported by strong metal beams, which are anchored in the rocks. There are also, roughly 400m of tunnels and galleries, hollowed and carved out of the mountains themselves, then about 250m of gravel path.

After the breathtaking Gorges of Aare, the river flows into the Lake of Brienz. This a super place with innumerable hiking possibilities. The little towns on the lakeside have housing, typical for the region. An near the small city of Brienz there is the open air Museum of Ballenberg, a museum of housing in former century. You need at least half a day to visit it correctly. Houses and farms from all over Switzerland where rebuilt in this place.

After crossing the Lake of Brienz, the Aare follows its path and becomes a river which then, in its turn, cuts through the town of Interlaken. Interlaken means “between the Lakes”. This is because; Interlaken is surrounded by lakes, on one side, the Lake of Brienz and on the other, the Lake of Thoune. The town of Interlaken is known worldwide, for all types of tourism. You’ll find all categories of hotels, for big and little budgets.

Interlaken is very convenient as a starting point or even as a base, should you prefer it that way.

Once the Aare River has gone through the Lake of Thoune, it then runs alongside the town of Thoune, just as touristy, but less than Interlaken. Why not a visit to the castle of Oberhofen with its beautiful gardens?

Once the town of Thoune is left behind it, The Aare continues it winding journey to the capital of Switzerland, Bern. This magnificent city with its marvellous “old town” boasts the “Zyttglogge”, a bell tower with a turning clock.

There three large bridges in Bern, straddling The Aare. They are of an intimidating height and are named respectively, “Nydegg”, “Kirchenfeld” and “Kornhaus”.

Outside of Bern, The Aare flows into the Lake of Bienne. Bienne is a convivial little bilingual town where both French and German are spoken. Bienne is also known worldwide because of the fact that all of the most well-known watch-making companies are established there. These are Rolex, Omega, Swatch, Movado and many others still.

Rivers of Switzerland

In this wine-making region, still on the route of the one of the rivers of Switzerland, on the Bienne lakeside, you will find excellent white wines and in the restaurants, notably the local speciality, Perch filets and fries.

You can undertake excursions on boats and even go up into the mountains to Macolin, where the Federal Sports Centre can be found, in a peculiar little mountain train. The walks are wonderful up there and the ground is smooth compared to the rocky grounds, in the Alps. This is ideal for group outings.

Once The Aare has travelled across the Lake of Bienne, it continues toward the East, in direction of the town of Brugg, where it joins up with two rivers, The Limmat and The Reuss and then later takes a northern turn to end up spilling out into The Rhine.

In the middle of the Canton of Aargau, these three rivers of Switzerland join up and represent together 40% of the water flowing from Switzerland.

In brief, all the hikes or walks undertaken the long of The Aare, start out as very natural and rocky hikes and end up as pleasant walks.

The Rhone:Rivers of Switzerland

This rivers source is found in a glacier that has the same name, in the region of The Fulka Pass, Grimsel, in Susten. It is possible to see and visit the source by entering the tunnel at the Rhone Glacier.

The hikes and walks are more interesting at the beginning of the river because the lower in altitude down the river you go, the more you will realise that the course of the river has been canalised. However for easy walks, this part is very agreeable. Especially for those who are no longer up to strenuous or difficult hikes and walks. This will allow you to enjoy the beauty of the region all the while taking a very easy walk.

As of the Valley of Rhone, there are on either side of the river, adjacent valleys where you will find all types of hiking and walking trails, all ranging from the easiest to the most difficult. After crossing through the canton, the river goes through a part of the Canton of Vaud and then flows into Lake Leman. We share this lake with our French neighbours. On the other side, the river leaves the Lake Leman behind and crosses the town of Calvin, meaning Geneva. Geneva is home to many international organisations and during the summer months, a regular visiting town for people from the Persian Gulf, on holiday.

Once Geneva left behind, The Rhone leaves the Swiss Territory and undertakes its long journey through France to finally end this journey, in the Mediterranean Sea.

These are only just 4 of the rivers of Switzerland that are the most important of the 260 rivers that make up and give a reason to the famous name given to Switzerland, Europe’s Water Castle.